Bumblebee and Whiterose one-shots!
by jensening
Summary: A collection of 'Bumblebee' (Blake/Yang) and Whiterose (Weiss/Ruby) one-shots! Last chapter: Based a few years after they have become official huntresses, Weiss and Ruby meet a struggle in their personal lives: Weiss' father wants her to marry someone that isn't Ruby.
1. Easy (BY)

**#1: Easy -** Blake thinks falling for Yang is so easy. Set after the final battle of season 2.

* * *

It was so easy, Blake thought, almost too easy. Like a snowflake falling through the sky, gentle and beautiful, that was what Blake thought falling for Yang was like. Floating eternally in the beauty of the moment – but Yang was certainly not the easiest of people to fall for _gently._ Yang had no discretion, sometimes no sense of control, and she was probably the crudest, most impulsive, funniest, most beautiful, most wonderfully caring person in the entire world, and she was so carefree that she often grounded Blake when Blake needed guidance or she got lost among her thoughts; Yang had done so when she convinced her to go to the dance, Yang had done so when she had found out Blake was a Faunus, and Yang had been so beautiful each and every time.

And, after the battle when the hole in the road had been sealed by Glynda, when Sun had tried to kiss her in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping through their veins, she had rejected him.

She had felt terrible about it.

Really, truly awful, but she could do nothing else – kissing him, leading him on, that was not something Blake wanted to do, especially to someone as dear to her as Sun was.

Oh, but _Yang,_ Yang afterwards – Blake had been sat down at the docks, her shoes cast aside and her toes dipping into the surprisingly comforting cold of the water, so long after fellow Beacon students had left, Weiss and Ruby included. The sun was setting in beautiful warm hues of red, pink, orange and yellow smeared across the sky like oil paints, and Blake couldn't help but enjoy the clichéd heroin ending. She was a fan of clichés, any clichés, all clichés, as her book collection could tell you, but she would profusely deny such an accusation.

Yang knew though, and so when she took an eager seat next to Blake and let her feet also dangle in the water, she offered a confused Blake a warm smile.

"Heya, Kitten." She said; a sigh filled with contentment. "A heck of day, huh?"

There was no reply; Blake continued to stare at the melting colours of the sky.

"Cat got your tongue?"

She felt her mouth twitch into a smile and the tension in her shoulders grew lesser. The blonde's presence was comforting and woke her up immediately. "We may have captured Roman, but this is certainly not the end of this." She had replied, her tone taking the serious note that it often did.

"You're right about that." Yang shuffled closer to the girl cloaked in black. "But this was a victory. You can't forget that – this was an _awesome_ victory."

She could not help smiling fully now – Yang always knew what to say to her, even when she herself was at a loss. "You're right."

"Of course I am! You're my partner, and I care about you. If I didn't know what to say to cheer you up, I'd be a pretty crappy partner, don'cha think?"

They said nothing for a while. Her words had provoked a thought in Blake's mind - Blake knew it, felt it, thought it, and Yang knew that Blake was suddenly subdued – it was like an agreement among the two to say nothing.

But, after a while, Blake's thoughts overwhelmed her, and, without much thought of the consequences, she broke the silence.

"Sun tried to kiss me."

This piqued Yang's interest, Blake could tell. Turning her body to fully face Blake, one leg tucked under her body and the other dipping over the edge and into the water, she said a simple "What?" and let Blake elaborate.

"It was after the battle." Blake said, a sigh in her voice that was heavy with guilt. "We were happy, and hugged, and then he – tried to kiss me."

Yang seemed suddenly tense, but her voice did not betray her. "Is that not a good thing?"

Blake thought about it. Sun was a good guy; he was funny and warm, and although he could say some stupid things sometimes that made Blake doubt her choice in friends, he had a heart of gold. He had a sense of direction in his life, and, best of all, he understood her troubles as a Faunus. There was just one thing wrong with him.

 _He was not Yang._

"It's not a bad thing." Blake admitted; her fingers tapped against concrete. "But I don't have any feelings for him. It would be wrong to kiss him and lead him on like that; that's not who I am."

"I know." Yang said. She was suddenly closer to Blake, and their thighs touched. "I like who you are. You're a good person, Blake. Even if you get a bit melodramatic every once in a while."

Yang wore a cheeky grin, and Blake nudged at her shoulder in a playful way. She wished that Yang's smile didn't send her whole being reeling towards her, didn't send her stomach battling with nerves. Wished that Yang didn't fill her with contentment. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Kitten. You know how I feel about you."

That she did. Their feelings, the one's they never talked about, they were like an unspoken bond between the two of them. They never acted on them. It never seemed like the right time, never safe, never _perfect,_ there was always some obstacle or something that stopped them.

Now, it seemed, they had a lot more time.

And suddenly Blake felt unnerved. Yang was so close – how did she not realise that before? – and with the growing wind her hair blew right in Blake's direction. She smelt of coconuts, Blake noticed with smile, and her violet eyes stared out at the sea. She was beautiful. So beautiful that Blake's heart physically _hurt._ How can someone look so beautiful just sat there, doing absolutely nothing, just sat there absent-mindedly swinging their legs? How is it possible that Yang could be so gorgeous without even trying?

Yang must have noticed Blake's fond stare, because her gaze found Blake's sharp amber eyes, and she smiled a full-force Yang smile. It knocked Blake to her knees.

"Are you alright?" Yang asked.

"I'm great." Blake breathed. "Thank you for being here."

"'S'no problem, Blake. Besides, I think we deserve a rest. We kicked ass today."

She gave an affectionate eye roll. "Yeah," Blake replied, "we did."

"And you looked super good doing it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Seriously, Kitten. On more than one occasion I almost got punched in the face because I was too busy staring at you."

Blake let an easy laugh fall from her lips. Yang made everything so _easy._ She made conversation easy, she made fighting _look_ easy, made beauty seem easy, made humour as if it was her second nature. Made falling in love so easy.

"You didn't look too bad yourself, Yang." She said, feeling that same, easy smile lock on her face, and saw that Yang wore one identical.

"Well, thanks, Blakey!" Yang looked down at the water and, with her feet, drew images in the ripples of the shimmering blue-black. And then she suddenly stopped and looked up at Blake with a mischievous grin on her face. "And how _cool_ was it when Team CFVY jumped outta that helicopter? Man, Coco has such an awesome weapon. Taking down that Nevermore with a couple bullets? Chic is tough."

Blake didn't reply. Talking to Yang was so easy and yet it felt as if someone was punching her in the stomach again and again and again, and Blake didn't want them to stop. She wished she understood.

The silence enveloped them once more. There was no sound but the wind and the soothing rocking of the waves against the shore. With Yang, it was easy _not_ to talk, too, which Blake appreciated.

It was beginning to grow cold. The sunset was fading to black, and day was turning to night, and the water was also growing colder. They would have to return to Beacon soon.

"It's getting late." Blake said.

Yang leaned back, her weight balanced on her palms. "We should head back soon." She said, and her violet eyes turned towards Blake. "You know, I think we might have more free time for a while now that Roman is gone."

Blake gave a small nod. Where was Yang going with this?

"And, well, that means we'll probably have time to go out more often."

"I guess so." Blake said. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well think about it now." Yang was suddenly sitting up again, looking at Blake with new found determination. "Blake, now that Roman is gone, now that we have more free time, I'd like to take you out."

"Take me…out?"

"Yeah." Yang said, nodding in confirmation. "On a date."

Oh.

 _Oh._

"Yang, we've talked about this. Do you really think it's such a good idea?"

Yang shuffled closer and waved the question away. "Nah." She said, smiling. "I _know_ it's a _brilliant_ idea."

Blake swallowed. They'd kissed only once – only once, and it was only a small thing – but now Yang was so close to her and was staring at her with eyes that were soft and silly but had this intensity in them that left Blake speechless. "You do?"

Yang leaned in. "Uhuh." She whispered. "And with your permission, I'd like to kiss you."

Blake closed her eyes and closed the distance.

And, when their lips joined, it was like the world fell in shatters around them. A world without Yang, without her witty remarks, bad puns, and unwavering confidence, without her love and her kindness and her kisses, that was not a real world. _This_ was the real world, and this world was perfect.

When they parted, breathless, Blake could only mutter "okay."

Yang licked her lips and brought the two of them together again.


	2. Defiance (BY)

**#2: Defiance -** Blake had a hard time accepting her feelings. Yang had a hard time understanding why she left.

* * *

"You've said all there is to say." Yang says, but it sounds feeble, inarticulate, and far too dejected to ever harbour any real venom. Yang is not a cruel person. Of all the things Yang is: smart, beautiful, inarticulate, graceful, ridiculous, hilarious, thoughtful – she is not cruel. She could never be cruel, for she is filled with love and happiness and optimism, and that is why Blake loves her. "You're with Sun. You love Sun. You want Sun."

Blake can only shake her head, take a step forward and watch the hurt flash through Yang's eyes as she takes a protective step back. She thinks she has to protect herself, Blake knows, thinks that Blake will hurt her. It's not an irrational thought. Blake has _already_ hurt her; she has taken Yang's full-force, glowing heart and smashed it on the concrete without ever meaning to – like Yang's heart was in the palm of her hand, and Blake was walking across the double yellows of a busy highway. She was so busy with concerns of herself, of her safety, that she did not think about the delicate life pulsing in her hands, and when she stumbled she chose to save herself and any premonitions of Yang's heart had left the second she had lost her balance. Yang's heart had flown from her grasp before she could even attempt to clutch it and pull it close again. And then it – she – her – _Yang -_ hit a speeding van, and any hopes of salvation were crushed by Blake's selfishness, and her stupid, _stupid_ clumsiness.

"No, Yang, I haven't said everything." Blake replies. She tries to ignore the aching in her chest from the way Yang looks at her. A look that says Blake is her everything. And a look that says she now has nothing. "You misunderstood –"

"You don't want me."

The words hurt, even though they shouldn't; she doesn't deserve them to. But they do and she flinches, but the warped look on Yang's face shows it was far harder for her to say them than for Blake to take them.

"No, Yang," she says, raising a hand to stop Yang continuing, but she feels flustered now and doesn't know what she's saying or how she's saying it and what she wants is completely blurred to her now – "you misunderstood."

Yang seems baffled by this. Not a shock baffled but an angry baffled - a baffled that makes her take another step back, her heels smacking against the wall, and her forehead creasing with unspoken emotion, a flicker in her eyes like a fire being lit - a small, controlled fire that she comforts and warms herself by, but a fire nonetheless, and Blake knows, at that look, that Yang's next words will not be pleasant.

"I _misunderstood_?" she says, her back against the wall but her determination clawing at her skin, trying to pierce the delicate, soft pinkness to escape and unleash a world of terror that Yang will not allow. "I'm _sorry_ – when I admitted my feelings to you and you reciprocated with a kiss, and then when you ignored me for weeks and _weeks_ afterward just to show up with some new stupid monkey boy –" Blake flinches, Yang doesn't stop "and then act like _nothing_ happened – _how_ , Blake, tell me – how – _how_ – did I misinterpret that? _How?"_

Blake stays silent and Yang laughs, runs a hand through her gorgeous blonde hair. It is uneasy, angry laughter and it shakes and splutters and has moments where there are no sounds– and then they are floating, and when Yang gets her breath again they both collapse to the floor, and the tension is broken.

Blake weaves her fingers together and feels her sweaty palms as she thumbs at them. "I just –"

"What?" Yang growls.

"I just – I -"

" _What?_ "

"I got scared!" Blake suddenly yells, and then there's a weight on her chest as Yang deflates in front of her, Yang's feet shift and she stares at Blake expectantly. The pressure is suffocating. "I just – I kissed you and I didn't know – I didn't know where it had come from or why I had done it and – and it was all too much and I didn't know what to do. I was – scared, Yang." Her shoulders slump, she looks down to the floor. She mumbles: "I was scared of my feelings for you."

And then Yang is in front of her, taking one hand in her own solid, if slightly shaky one, and her other reaches up and traces the curve of Blake's jaw. Blake eyes flutter shut.

"And now?" Yang mumbles. Blake looks down but Yang lifts her head gently, and forces their eyes to meet. Her lilac eyes are so gorgeous, Blake has always thought so. They stared like they knew more than she said, and they shimmered with humour at every insignificant thing, and they looked upon Blake gently, like she was – like she was –

 _Perfect._

"I don't know," Blake says, but she pulls at Yang's clothes to move her closer so their bodies touch, and her eyes glaze over at the smell of Yang, at the sound of her levelled breathing, at the simple proximity of their daring bodies.

Yang's head dips down a little bit, their noses touch and Blake feels her legs collapse beneath her, but Yang's strong arms keep her standing. "Oh?" Yang whispers, but as their eyes stare into each other's she knows Yang is smirking, because she can feel it in her voice and see the shimmer in her eyes –

It makes Blake clutch at her desperately, and as their foreheads gently rest against one another she feels her eyes closing against her will. Her hand rests against Yang's chest; she can feel it pounding rhythmically, fast but steady, and she realises Yang is nervous but it comforts her, and all of a sudden she can only feel the blood pounding in her own ears.

"Kiss me," is what she says, but _run_ is what she feels. Her hands loop around the back of Yang's neck, her finger teases the skin, and she pushes Yang closer. "Please."

It's a sort of whispered whine, she realises, and then she momentarily hates that she came across so desperately but Yang seems to love this, like it reassures her, and when their lips meet she can feel her smile. The breath is physically knocked from her body at the gentle caress of Yang's soft lips against her own, and she thinks – how did she ever live without this?

So her arms wrap more securely around Yang, and when she deepens the kiss Yang doesn't seem to mind, but deeply complies with Blake's tender insecurity by grasping at Blake's hair and holding her so close and gently that Blake feels safer than she has in her whole life.

And when they part, desperate for breath but content to suffocate, they smile at one another. And Blake blushes at the realisation of what she has just done – kissed Yang, her best friend, a girl, and wanted to kiss her until Blake could no longer stand – but it does not scare her. It embarrasses her, to feel this needy. This desperate for something she is holding in her arms, but still feels it is not enough. And so she opens her mouth, gently, and closes it, and then she murmurs: "I was never dating Sun."

Yang licks her lips, "I didn't know that," she says, and it sounds apologetic, in a way, but mostly it sounds teasing. Teasing towards herself, maybe, that she had presumed without ever really asking –

"I care for you." Blake says, but it takes far too much energy to say it and she wonders if she is truly ready for this. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's okay." Yang says, but Blake feels as if it's not. "Can I kiss you again?"

Blake blushes again, but, this time, she doesn't run away. Instead, she nods slightly, and she cherishes the moment Yang smiles and joins their lips again.


	3. Panic (BY)

**#3: Panic -** Yang refuses to accept that Weiss and Ruby are dating. Blake just wants to read.

Check out my other Bumblebee one-shot 'Yang's Admission' on my page! It was too long to put in this smaller selection.

* * *

"Well, Blakey, looks like it's just you and me for tonight!" Yang smiles as she swings the door closed after Ruby and Weiss, who had just left. " You know, since Weiss kidnapped my sister against her will."

Blake rolls her amber eyes, a small, amused smile filling her face at Yang's comment. Yang slumps down on the bed next to Blake, who's reading her infamous 'Ninja's of Love' book that Yang had to learn the hard way _not_ to ask about. "You're going to have to accept that they're dating, Yang."

Yang snorts and shakes her head. "They're _not_ dating."

"Ruby wore a dress."

"She wore a dress for the dance!"

"Yang, they held hands as they left."

Yang turns on her side and stares at Blake. "I held Jaune's hand the other day but does that mean I'm dating him?"

Blake, relenting, closes her book and puts it on the desk, and diverts her full attention to Yang who, despite her amusing words, does not look amused. Her violet eyes were almost panicked. Blake thought it was cute how she didn't want Ruby to suddenly grow up. "But you were pulling him out of the way of an Ursa."

"My point exactly. They were probably just being careful. You never know when one of those Grimm will jump ya." She pulls Blake into her, gently, and kisses her forehead. "They're crafty, that's for sure."

"Yang."

"No. They are not dating, Blake, because if they are dating, I have to have the talk with Ruby, and I do _not_ want to have the talk with Ruby!"

Blake chokes on a laugh and looks at Yang, an eyebrow raised. "You _do_ realise she already knows everything you're going to tell her?"

"It's the principle!" Yang exclaims. "And for the love of all Grimm if you tell me she's going to have sex with Weiss I will deny you kisses for a week!"

"I wasn't going to say that." Blake says, a large smile on her face. "And if you managed to go even a day without kissing me I would be very impressed."

Yang pouts and crosses her arms. "It's not my fault you're so cute, with your little ears and sexy voice."

Yang kisses Blake, then, and Blake feels she's almost doing it ironically, because that was just something Yang would do. But it was only light and only for a moment, and Yang doesn't usually kiss like that, so maybe it is something more than a simple joke.

"Are you worried about her?" Blake asks when they part.

"I'm worried about them." Yang admits. "Ruby is a hyperactive killer with an overly fond love of cookies, and now Weiss – and Weiss is an ice queen who's not exactly the easiest person to get down with."

Blake smirks. "Get down?"

"You know what I mean, Kitten."

"Well, Yang, I wouldn't worry about it." Blake says, sitting up taking Yang's hand in her own. "They're opposites. They'll balance it out. I can think of two other people who are very different, but they managed it okay."

Yang squeezes her hand, looks at her with love and longing, and amusement. "Oh?" she says, leaning closer. "And who's that?"

"Ren and Nora."

Yang looks like she's been slapped.

Blake laughs, and whilst she's unaware, Yang strikes, tackling her down to the bed, pinning Blake's hands above her head and smirking, because she knows that if Blake _really_ wanted to, she could get out of her hold so easily. "Well, you think you're so _smart,_ don't you, Blakey?"

Blake doesn't reply, but her ears, without their bow, twitch. Violet eyes stare into amber, and amber stare right back. Yang's eyes are soft and silly, and Blake's are sharp and loveable. And Yang can't resist, so she leans down, licks her lips, hovers her mouth mere centimetres away from Blake's, who is closing her eyes in expectation and then –

Yang smiles, whispers: "Let's see if I really can go a day without kissing you. I bet you'll crack first."

Blake's eyes open in surprise, and she groans when Yang pulls away.

" _Yang_."

" _Blake_."

Blake sighs at Yang's smirking face. "Please?"

"Are you giving up already? It hasn't even been two minutes into the bet!"

Yang looks so smug. Yang looks _so_ smug, Blake wants to kiss the smile right off of her face – "Yes, Yang, I'm sure. You win. Congratulations."

Yang smiles, leans in and says: "I never would have managed." When her eyes slip shut, and she joins their lips in a delicate, sweet kiss.

She forgets to worry about Weiss and Ruby, and certainly doesn't notice that they're not home by the time Blake and Yang are falling asleep.

She'll talk to them tomorrow.


	4. Proof (BY)

**#4: Proof** \- Ruby knows Yang and Blake are dating. Weiss won't believe her.

This story follows Ruby and Weiss and as such has Whiterose, but it primarily about Bumblebee.

Also, **GlowingWolf418,** I am happy to read your Bumblebee one-shot, and to post it if I like it :) I am posting them as I write them, so I will take a while longer than you may like, but thanks for your happy review!

* * *

It was so sweet, the way she talked to her. As if she was the only person who mattered. As if she could walk across water, part the very sea, tear the very fabric of the world apart with nothing but her bare hands and her long, slender fingers.

Ruby thought it was beautiful, the way Yang talked to her. Talked to her like she was the undisputed goddess who could do absolutely anything, _anything,_ like the possibilities were limitless and that Yang loved her more than she loved her hair, or more than Ruby loved cookies.

It was so great, really, so great; Yang and Blake did not even know that Ruby knew about them, but she was just so happy for the two of them. She loved seeing them together; relished in the sight of them talking or smiling or laughing. Ruby found herself holding back a squeal at every little interaction between them, because, truthfully, she just shipped the two of them _so hard._

And it was so cute, how Yang would wrap an arm around Blake when she thought no one was looking. It was so cute how Blake, a book in hand, would hum in delight when Yang did this, and snuggle down and rest her head against Yang's shoulder. Yang would stroke absent-mindedly at Blake's long, soft, black hair, occasionally stroking at the base of Blake's little cat ears, and Ruby just loved to watch as Blake would unwind under Yang's touch, and eventually the book she had been reading would slip from her hands, and she would succumb to the gentle touch of Yang's fingertips and nudge at her like a cat would. It made Ruby so giddy.

Weiss had told her she was silly, told her she was imagining things, and that Blake and Yang were just friends. But Ruby knew. No one could tell her that Yang and Blake weren't dating, because it was so obvious they were – just like how it was obvious that chocolate chip cookies were better than _none_ chocolate chip cookies. The fact that they were dating wasn't up for debate, rather it was fact, just like the cookies.

"You're delusional." Weiss had said, shaking her head as the two sat in the library. Weiss had been trying to read, but Ruby, ever full of energy, had pulled her away from her book easy enough when Blake and Yang had walked in and made their way to the back of the library.

"Oh yeah?" Ruby had replied. "If you don't believe me, Weiss, you go back there right now and see what they're doing – I _bet_ you they're making out."

Weiss scoffed, but smiled slightly at her girlfriend's fervour. "Don't be silly Ruby –"

"You won't go because you _know_ I'm right!" Ruby sung, smiling and rocking back and forth. "They're in love and they're going to get married!"

Weiss sighed. "Ruby – don't get your hopes up."

"I'm not hopeful. I'm right. Just accept it Weiss – I'm riiiight!"

"Fine!" Weiss replied, smacking her book down onto the table a little louder than she had meant to. "I'll go look right now and prove you wrong, but don't you be butt hurt when I'm right –"

"I won't." Ruby said, certain she wouldn't be wrong.

Her vehement belief actually had Weiss doubting herself a little. But Yang and Blake hadn't been any closer than they usually were, and they had certainly not done anything _romantic_. So, sure of herself, Weiss carefully made her way to the back of the library, travelling down the aisle next to the one Yang and Blake had travelled down. She pulled out a book or two from the shelf and peered her ice blue eyes through the gap –

And she squealed in shock. Yang – Blake – not making out – _certainly_ not doing anything _appropriate_ back here – certainly nothing typical to a library – certainly nothing typically _friendly_ to do to one another –

She shoved the books back in the shelf faster than Ruby could have, and then walked back a little manically to her girlfriend, who watched Weiss approach with eager interest and bright, happy eyes. "Well?" she said, smiling. "Am I right or am I right?"

"You're right." Weiss replied.

"They were making out?"

Weiss took her seat with her usual elegance, and picked her book off of the table, flicking it open and thumbing at the page she had left it on. "They were…doing something all right." She said, and could not help the blush that encompassed her face.


	5. Look (WR)

**#5: Look** \- Based a few years after they have become official huntresses, Weiss and Ruby meet a struggle in their personal lives: Weiss' father wants her to marry someone that isn't Ruby.

So, this story was originally just going to be full of Bumblebee stories, but I love Whiterose so much that I just had to add some of them to the mix. Besides, I've had this sat around for a while. By a while I mean I wrote this at the beginning of Volume Two, so sorry if characterisation seems a little off from what we know now in Volume 3.

* * *

"You can't _look_ at me like that!" Weiss pushes her away, pushes Ruby so hard she stumbles, feels the hot rush of tears down her face and chokes on the throbbing in her chest. She can't do this – they can't do this – she's not _strong_ enough to do this –

"Like what?" The shove, although hard, doesn't seem to faze Ruby. She does not flinch. Steps closer again, keeps her arms at her sides though they twitch incessantly; she wants to touch Weiss. Why, why, why is Ruby so strong, so solid, even when Weiss feels the cracks in her skin?

Weiss sobs, her head falls and her eyes are staring at the blurred floor. Shoulders slumped – a defeated gasp of tears – Ruby envelopes her in her arms – "Like what?" Ruby whispers.

Weiss lets the familiar embrace comfort her, the familiar scent of roses suffocating her in the best possible way –

Like what; like _what_ –

Weiss chokes a laugh.

 _Like I'm your reason for living –like I'm the very centre of the universe – like I'm one of your damn cookies -_

"Like I'm everything you've ever wanted!" Weiss says, pushing Ruby away slightly, though never separating herself completely. She is not strong enough to separate herself completely.

Ruby does not sound confident when she speaks, though she sounds truthful and she sounds solid, and she sounds like everything Weiss needs most. "But I love you." she says, "And you _are_ everything I've ever wanted."

Weiss hits her lightly, pathetically, though she means it to have more passion, more fire, and she realises that she can't do that. Not with Ruby. She can't ever touch her with malicious intent – can't even _look_ at her the wrong way.

"But you can't love me," she sobs; her fists grip at Ruby's cloak. "you can't, you can't, you _can't –_ "

Soft lips against her forehead. She thinks she must look so pathetic. You started this, Weiss thinks with some animosity, you end this. End this and don't think about when you met – or the time she made a white rose out of titanium – or when she sang you to sleep when your grandmother died –

Don't think about her cherry lips; her smoky eyes; the beauty of her fine, thick eyelashes - don't think about the way her very name brings a smile to your lips, a throbbing to your heart, a pounding in your head –

Don't cherish the way she says your name. Don't adore her hyperactivity, or her sweet tooth, or her weird love of weaponry, or the way her eyes sparkle – don't think about how she's everything you thought you hated, and how everything you'd thought you'd love is being thrust at you on a plate – don't think about the fact that you hate it all –

Don't wish you were marrying her, not him. Don't resent that she's everything you thought you'd hate and, he, everything you thought you'd love.

"I can." Her voice. Her voice is so beautiful. Her voice is a constant; a constant she is trying so hard, _so hard, you have no idea,_ to remove from her life. "I can look at you that way because I love you. Because you love me. Because we love each other the way I thought I'd only ever love cookies."

 _Be a good girl_ , Weiss' father had always said, _just do as I say and you will live a fulfilled life._

Her life does not feel fulfilled - how will her life ever feel complete without Ruby in it..?

"I can't love you." Crying again. She's so sad. How is she an _heiress_ – why couldn't Winter take over the Schnee Dust Industry – why couldn't Weiss live her life with the girl she loved –

Why couldn't she?

Her grip on Ruby loosens, her head holds higher, her icy eyes look into the warm, grey beauties that are Ruby's eyes. "But I do love you." Weiss says. Her voice is weak, but her spirit is suddenly strong. "I _do_ love you."

Ruby rolls her eyes, joking, playful, and thumbs away Weiss' tears. Weiss loves that her fingers have a rough feeling to them – loves that these are the fingers of a worker, a thinker, a doer,a _person,_ and not the porcelain mannequins she has been forced to deal with in the past, those that have fingers like a baby's bottom.

"I know you do." Ruby says. Her smile shows her insecurity. "You don't have to marry him."

"I don't." Weiss says. It feels like a question when she says it, but it's far more of a statement when it comes out. "I don't?"

"Everyone has a choice, Weiss. It's not always clear or easy to make the right one, but happiness is always there. Choosing to make yourself miserable? That will always be the wrong choice for you, and even though it may please others you'll find that it takes away a part of you, you can never get back."

When did Ruby get so wise? When did she gain this striking independence that Weiss clung to like it was her own heartbeat?

Around the time Cinder and Adam Taurus were killed, Weiss realises. Ruby had to kill them – watch the life leave their eyes – deal with the consequences – thrust into a world of adults with no experience –

Ruby is far stronger than Weiss has ever given her credit for. Her eyes are so strong, though look under the fog of grey and you can see a huge insecurity: Weiss is her lifeline. Their heartstrings are connected; cut one and they will both die, feel the thumping synchronicity of their hearts and recognise the pure beauty of what they have –

They dealt with the injuries, the cuts and bruises, the hate and anger, the death, the worry, the inner turmoil, the blame, and they came out of it together, still whole even if there were cracks, and now they stay living –

How could Weiss even _consider_ choosing him over her? Death over life? Choose remorse, anger, regret and sadness, over family, love, happiness? How could she even consider sharing her life with someone that wasn't Ruby?

"I love you, Ruby." Weiss says. "I know I shouldn't; I know it would be easier if I loved him –" Ruby tries to pull apart from her, the words sting, but Weiss tugs on her hand incessantly – "but it would _not_ be better." She confirms. Ruby smiles and kisses her cheek, then the corner of her lips – "I'm going to tell my father no."

Ruby kisses her lips gently, softly. It is only a second, though a second is all they need – it is promise now, the two of them, and in that second they are sealed.

"No taksies-backsies." Ruby says; her grin speaks volumes that Weiss would be far too embarrassed to ever voice. "You're mine now. Forever."

Weiss smiles, relishes the smooth feeling of Ruby's hands snaking around her waist. "Forever."

"And my proposal will be far more awesome than Snooty's boring one at that silly Christmas party."

A surprise laugh escapes her lips. _Snooty._ Ruby's name for Weiss' soon-to-be-ex fiancé. But then –proposal – Ruby talked of proposing –

Weiss blushes. Proposal. The two of them. It did not sound remotely scary, or daunting, like Snooty's did. This just seems to click. Everything with Ruby seems to slide in place with an easy acceptance, like it was always made to happen.

"That was a boring party." Weiss agrees. "You sneaking in was definitely the highlight."

"Urgh, well if I remember correctly, it was actually the day my girlfriend told me she was engaged. And it wasn't to me. So, not so good in my books."

"Sorry." Weiss says. She means it. She means it more than Ruby can ever know. It's so hard to express it – but the proposal was so unexpected, they had only known each other two weeks – her dad had been expecting her to say yes, it was obviously his arrangement – how could she have said no on the spot like that? She had been surrounded by dignitaries. She couldn't say no because _she was dating a girl._ "I am so sorry, Ruby. You do know that, don't you?"

Ruby nods, pulls Weiss closer. Their noses touch. "I know, silly." She loves how Weiss blushes at the closeness, even after their years of dating. "I love you more than anything."

Weiss goes an impeccable shade of red. "Dolt!" she loudly proclaims, hitting Ruby on the back in mock anger. Her voice suddenly takes a whisper – " _Dolt,_ I love you, too."

They kiss. It's longer this time – their lips move with a synchronised familiarity, like people far too comfortable with each other, and Weiss feels this playful, soft bite on her bottom lip, feels herself blush, knows that this is what Ruby _doe_ s _,_ and that she loves Ruby for all of this. Weiss' arms snake up Ruby's body and rest on her shoulders; her fingers gently trace the back of her neck.

"And you also want to make me cookies."

Weiss rolls her eyes, smiles, and taps the back of Ruby's neck. "Dunce," she says, feeling the smile pull on her lips. "I'll make you all the cookies in the world."


End file.
